Place of Worship

Lithia Springs, GA – Arsonists ignite donated food at church; Sprinkler system contains fire

A Georgia church is asking for food donations after an unknown number of people broke into its gym, started a fire and ruined donated food. The incident was reported last Saturday at the Lithia Springs Church of God, according to the Douglas County School System. The church’s Gift of Love ministry had collected food intended to feed thousands of students in need over spring break. Instead, a group of vandals tagged the gym with gang graffiti and mixed chemicals in a trash can to start the fire, a district official said on Facebook. They also made themselves a meal before dousing all the tables with food on them with the chemical mixture, school authorities said.

The church’s sprinkler system contained the fire, but not before it destroyed enough food for 459 students to eat for nine days in 21 Douglas County schools. Also lost was a special donation of boxed meals for 2,000 students at four additional county schools that have a high number of students on free and reduced lunch, the school district reported. Anyone who wants to help restore the donations is asked to bring them to the church at 3900 Veterans Memorial Highway by Thursday, when the items need to be delivered. Needed donations include canned meats, pasta, soups, instant oatmeal and grits, cereal packs, Ramen noodles and packaged snacks For more information, call Brenda Kirk at the Gift of Love at (770) 672-4707.

Other Business

Wheeling, IL – Fire at commercial laundry business controlled by sprinkler system

A fire at Crothall Laundry in Wheeling was put out within 15 minutes of starting at around 9:01 a.m. Wednesday. Wheeling Fire Chief Keith MacIsaac said there were no injuries sustained, no damage to the building and minimal damage to equipment at the business. However, Hintz Road was shut down for about 30 minutes while hoses were connected to a nearby fire hydrant. According to MacIsaac, the fire was contained to a large, industrial clothes dryer about the size of a semi-trailer. Crothall, located at 45 W. Hintz Rd., serves several local hospitals washing and dying linens and other materials by the ton.

“We’ve had a lot of fires over there,” said MacIsaac. Due to housekeeping issues related to the large machinery, the department responds to similar fires several times a year, he added. Before crews arrived at 9:05 a.m. to battle heavy smoke from the flames, the building’s sprinkler system kept the blaze controlled. All employees were safely evacuated. Damage estimates were not immediately available Wednesday morning

Other Business, Recycling / Waste Facility

Brampton, ON, Canada – Overnight fire at recycling business limited by sprinkler system

Brampton firefighters were called to a tire recycling business on Bramwin Court for a fire in the early morning hours Wednesday (March 28).  As the first firefighters arrived around 4 a.m., they called for a second alarm. However, firefighters say the building’s sprinkler system worked to their advantage and helped contain the flames.  There were no reports of injuries. The area remained closed during the morning rush hour as crews cleaned up at the scene.

Other / Not Specified

St. Petersburg, FL – Grease fire at Tropicana Field extinguished with help from sprinkler system

A grease fire broke out at Tropicana Field Thursday, right as the Rays are about to open their 21st season, officials said. The fire started on the third level of the stadium. Officials said the sprinkler system was activated and the fire was extinguished.  Firefighters later arrived at the scene to clear out the smoke. No injuries were reported. The Rays host the Red Sox for their home opener Thursday. First pitch is slated for just after 4 p.m.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Cleburne, TX – Paint booth fire at lighting manufacturer extinguished with help from sprinkler system

Cleburne firefighters responded to an automatic fire alarm with water flow at 12:48 p.m. Thursday in the 1700 block of Hal Avenue to find a large amount of smoke exiting the building at low velocity through large roll up doors. One employee advised that the fire was in the building’s paint booth oven area. The building, about 150 foot by 600 foot, is used to manufacture and paint lighting poles and light components, according to reports. Firefighters used about 300 gallons of water but noted that the building’s sprinkler system extinguished much of the fire.

The fire remained contained to the paint booth area and caused no additional damage other than smoke and heat damage to sheet metal at the oven’s entry, according to reports. A highly flammable powder substance had been allowed to build up and get into the duct work, which resulted in a flash fire caused by heat, firefighters said of the fire’s cause. No employees were injured in the fire.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Mebane, NC – Early morning warehouse fire contained to area of origin by sprinkler system

Crews are working to figure out what caused an industrial fire at the Kidde warehouse in Mebane early Tuesday morning. Mebane fire officials say the fire started around 5:12 a.m. An automatic fire alarm went off, alerting Mebane and Haw River firefighters. Efland, Pleasant Grove, and Sweponsville firefighters also responded.

Crews put the fire out just before 9 a.m. They say the fire started in a storage facility on the Kidde property, which stored merchandise including smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors and fire extinguishers. Fire crews say no was hurt inside the facility or at the plant when the fire started, and no one was injured putting out the fire.

“The sprinkler system actually kept the fire contained in its area of origin, but it’s a fairly large area, there were several heads that activated,” said Mebane Fire Chief Bob Louis. Crews are still on scene investigating what started the fire. They hope to have an answer by Tuesday afternoon. Kidde has operated in Mebane for decades but expanded its plant in the last few years. Fire officials tell us the storage facility where the fire started is part of the older area of the plant.

Apartment Building, Residential

Campbell River, BC, Canada – Single sprinkler credited in controlling blaze in 48-unit apartment building

Officials in Campbell River are crediting a single sprinkler for preventing major damage to a new apartment building when a fire broke out last week. The blaze started on the fourth-floor of a 48 unit building in the 700-block of Merecroft Road just after midnight Thursday. The single sprinkler kept flames under control until fire crews arrived. There were no injuries although some tenants will be displaced for a few days while the water from the sprinkler is dealt with by the building owner.

“No one was home in that apartment, but occupants in the rest of the large complex were awoken by the fire alarm, and that single sprinkler helped contain the fire,” fire chief Ian Baikie said in a release. “This is a much better outcome than a fire in an unoccupied unit without fire sprinklers.”

Fire and smoke damage was confined to a single unit on the fourth floor and water from the sprinkler got into units below where the blaze occurred. Baikie said if not for the sprinkler, people would have been out of their homes for weeks or months.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Lewiston, ID – Electrical fire at hotel put out with help from sprinkler system

Fire officials suspect an electrical malfunction sparked a fire Monday evening in a fourth-floor room at the Red Lion Hotel in Lewiston.

The Lewiston Fire Department was dispatched to the hotel at 621 21st St. at approximately 6:20 p.m., and no one was injured in the fire, according to a news release from LFD Chief Travis Myklebust.

The first arriving unit found occupants from the hotel exiting into the parking lot, and nothing was showing from the outside. Crews went to the fourth floor and found a room with heavy black smoke coming into the hallway from inside. At that point, units from Asotin County Fire District No. 1, Clarkston Fire and Wheatland Fire District were requested as well.

As crews were getting in place, the hotel’s sprinkler system activated and helped extinguish the fire. The fire was contained to the room and there was some minor smoke damage on the fourth-floor and minor water damage on the third floor, according to the news release. The fire was under control by about 15 minutes after arrival.

Lewiston responded with three engines, one ladder truck, one service truck, two ambulances and three command officers, with a total of 17 personnel. Mutual-aid units responded with two engines and one support unit, totaling 14 personnel. Two fire investigators were also called to the scene.

Hospital/Care Facility

Chilliwack, BC, Canada – Sprinklers limit fire damage in supportive housing complex

A sprinkler system is being credited with limiting the fire damage in a supportive housing complex in Chilliwack Monday morning.

Firefighters responded to an alarm just before 3 a.m. from a building located in the 8900 block of School Street.

When they arrived, they determined the alarm had been triggered by a fire on the top floor of the four-storey structure. A sprinkler head had been activated due to a number of fires that had been intentionally set in one of the suites, said the Chilliwack Fire Department.

A single sprinkler had controlled and extinguished the fires.

Firefighters confirmed the fires were out and shut off the sprinkler system.

Majority of the damage in the unit was related to multiple fires apparently set by the lone tenant, the department said. There was minor water damage to the units below.

Crews from Chilliwack Firehalls 1 and 4 responded to call.

There were no firefighter injuries, and fire officials and RCMP fire investigators are continuing their investigation.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Palm Springs, CA – Hallway fire at outdoor shopping plaza limited by automatic sprinkler system

Palm Springs firefighters put out an early Sunday morning blaze in downtown Palm Springs. Crews got the call of the fire at around 6 a.m. and found smoke in a building at the Mercado Plaza on Palm Canyon Drive. Firefighters say the blaze was contained in a exterior hallway by the sprinkler system. This blaze comes after a dumpster fire in the same area about a month ago.  An owner of Maracas Cantina says it’s frustrating this has happened more than once. “You don’t want to have these things coming up and as a business owner, it’s really disruptive,” Todd Flood, an owner of Maracas Cantina, said. “We’re going to open a couple hours late today and we miss some business.”  The fire did not cause any restaurants to close, just delays for some businesses opening, according to Flood. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

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